I want to stay with you
by zman123
Summary: When the kindly, altruistic Toriel takes in confused, and reclusive Frisk after her unfortunate arrival in the dangerous underground, it seems that the lucky and grateful Frisk is ready to spend the rest of her life in contentment and bliss, too good to be true. But as poor Frisk will soon come to learn,something she cant quite describe describe doesn't want want her to stay.
1. Chapter 1

"But when can I go home?" asked Frisk shyly, eyes closed and hands trembling.  
She did not want to offend the kind and gentle host that had taken her into her home, and who now sat by the fireside reading Frisk a eccentric, yet no less charming tale about the many uses of snails,

Frisk had scarcely been a few minutes in the modest, warm and cosy abode of her rescuer, Toriel who had offered to take Frisk in and shelter her from the dangers of the underground. Already she was beginning to feel almost entranced by the magnificence of this place, almost as if she felt more at home here than she had felt at any place she had been to ever before.

A miracolous turn of events considering the gruesome events she had endured to get here.

It was yesterday when Frisk had taken a wrong turn while dashing desperately up that hill,  
that in her panic and rush to get away that she tripped on a large stone that sent her flying forward without control down a large slope.  
She crashed her skull as she slid down and down, unable to stop herself.  
The last thing she saw as the world turned black and silent, was a large hole just below which she knew she would soon slide into, and she sighed in quiet relief as the last vestiges of sight left her sure that she was about to leave everything behind.

Her first sight as against all her expectations, when light finally crept back into her world once more as she found herself nestled among a beautiful field of golden flowers, brought to her no relief and she very nearly almost wished that the fall had been enough to kill her instead.

One of the flowers, pale white rather than golden yellow in colour reared its head up as Frisk sat up and rubbed her still incredibly sore head.  
It had a face like a living person would, but dark and empty eyes. Pitch black tunnels that wanted to see nothing and nobody.

What it said to her, she had forgotten as long, sturdy vines rose from the ground and began to tighten its grip on her unprotected body.  
The flower only lauaghed and laughed like a lunatic as it tightened its grip on the choking, gasping girl who prayed silently for the end to stop evading her already rather than playing these nasty tricks on her.

It was then that a large ball of red, flew at her assailant, knocking the horrid grin from its cheeks as a kindred voice filled the room, and begged Frisk to be easy now that she was among friends. An angelic almost melodic voice that invited confidence without demanding it.

And for the first time, as colour slowly trickled back into Frisk's paled cheeks and she very cautiously turned around, she clapped eyes on Toriel.

The tall female goat clad in a beautiful, patterned purple robe stood smiling reassuringly at Frisk, as it blew out the last traces of flame from its white paws.

They exchanged small talk as they walked back hand in hand towards her house at the end of the ruins, though Frisk saw no need to state her name.

It had been made fun of and run into the ground far too often for her to simply give it to every new stranger she met, by now, however understanding they seemed at first glance.

Frisk never liked her given name much herself quite frankly.

She was therefore more than glad to be referred to simply as "my child" by this new stranger who had just saved her from a slow and agonizing death.

To cut a long tale short, she was nursed back to health by Toriel who bandaged her cuts and scrapes expertly before being shown the carefully and extravegantly furnished little room that had been prepared for her.

"I've slept in worse." was the only comment Frisk could bring herself to make after stretching herself on the wonderfully cushioned bed to take a brief rest after her sudden arrival in this strange new place.

And so even as she said those words, Frisk was aware of a sudden lump in her throat. It was as if the words slipped out on an impulse that Frisk had no control or awareness over. But nevertheless, the words had come out and there was no taking them back now.

Toriel put the book on her lap and looked at Frisk through sympathetic eyes. "But this is your home now, my child. Don't you like it here?" she asked,  
both pleadingly and fearfully as if she was afraid of what the wrong response might bring.

Frisk did not know how to reply. Toriel's heartfelt plea had left her wordless. Should she tell Toriel that she had a mob of bullies waiting for her to return, so they could continue to torment her once more? Or that she would prefer the cold, hard earth where she was bound to be subjected to a nasty plethora of rain, and chilling wind in the cold harsh winter she knew would soon be on her, to the warm and fuzzy little bed she now had all to herself in her own private little room where she had all the space that she could possibly ask for?

Why then did she feel the need to say such meaningless words that she had no desire to imply then?

"Please, excuse me for a moment" begged Toriel, frowning as she slowly stood up from her chair and left the room, with slow quiet footsteps.

Frisk stood immobilised, until Toriel's footsteps had died away. Then she staggered to a nearby a mirror and looked angrily upon her pale reflection.

"I didn't mean to say that" she angrily chided, shaking her head shamefully. "I like it here. I like Toriel. I loved the butterscotch cinammon pie and I want to stay here.".  
Her voice was almost a frail whisper.

She slowly headed to the little room and collapsed on her bed. Perhaps a short nap would bring her to her senses once more.

Her sleep was short and unhappy. "Wake up" called a shaking, raspy voice in the awful dream that ensued almost the instant she managed to get to sleep "You have to wake up. Wake up."

Sweat ran down the young girls forehead, and she tossed and turned, throwing her duvet to the floor with her eyes still tightly shut.  
"You're important. You can't go to sleep now. You have to wake up."

Then through the gloom and darkness of the terrible nightmare, Frisk managed to discern a tall and stocky sillohuete, which appeared to sport a pair of large and terrifying horns on its head. It truly was a terrifying sight to behold, and Frisk had just seen the daunting horror that was "Flowey the flower" and the gruesome death it had nearly brought her.

All of a sudden, the dreadful visage appeared to grow closer and closer, so that its other features grew more prominent though still too blurry to make out.

The sleeping Frisk thrashed and thrashed as she writhed to be free of the terrible dream she had locked herself into.  
Then still too faint to envision clearly, the giant figure leapt forward with a malicious cackle.

The last thing Frisk would remember as her mind finally broke free from sleep, was a giant spear that appeared to be smeared with red which the beast had flashed at her as it pounced.

Frisk woke up panting heavily, unable to restrain herself as she let out a blood curdling cry of anguish and terror.

She cried for Toriel but no one came and so she was left to herself as she dabbed at her wet face with a towel and sat still as a statue for several minutes, giving ear to every crack, gust of wind, footstep and other sound of menace as she shook and shivered with clattering teeth.

What and who was that? And what did all this mean?  
Frisk managed to ask herself as fear slowly loosened its grip on the already broken girl.

She hadn't the foggiest idea, was the only answer she could satisfy herself with.

And as she slowly struggled to her feet, realising that further sleep would only bring more fatigue and angst, she uttered a silent prayer with closed eyes that she would never learn the truth behind that awful vision.

Little did poor, naive Frisk know that while well intentioned, her plea would fall on the deaf ears of the cold and uncaring lady luck who at this point, really seemed to be taking great leisure at Frisk's expense and was in no hurry to put an end to this charade.


	2. Chapter 2

Frisk knew what she had to do as she slowly walked out of her room, one step at a time, towards the staircase that led to the cellar.

Find Toriel and apolagise. Apolagise that she had insulted Toriel's alturism and kindness with such an ungrateful and snide insult.  
She had searched every other room in the little house to no avail, and calling Toriel's name did not seem to work.

Slowly, Frisk took a deep breath and crept down the stairs at a pace even a snail would not envy.  
She needed to say she was sorry.

"You wish to return home do you not, my child?" asked a hurt and strained whisper, barely loud enough to hear, as Frisk made her way closer and closer to the goat woman whose back was turned to Frisk.  
Frisk did not need to see Toriel's worried face to know the horrible pain her rash decision had caused to her savior.

"Ahead of us lies the exit to the ruins" explained Toriel patiently, before Frisk could think of anything to say.  
"A one way exit to the rest of the underground." A long painful sigh followed.

"You naive child. If you leave, then they, will kill you. Do you understand? I am only trying to protect you." A pang of guilt choked Toriel's words, saying more than needed to be said.

Frisk nodded ashamed, and managed to stutter regretfully "I know you want to protect me. I trust you. More than anyone else at least."

For a second Frisk thought that Toriel had not heard her, or if she did, that Toriel didn't believe her.  
It hurt the young girl greatly to see Toriel in such a mood, almost like someone had stuck a knife in her wrist.

Long seconds passed as Toriel slowly nodded as she turned to face Frisk. The relief in her weak smile, and the trail of tear she was wiping at with her sleeve made Frisk almost want to smile again herself.

"I want to stay here with you as long as you let me." requested Frisk, now relieved that Toriel was no longer angry at her.  
"You've been so nice to me, and given me so much. If it would make you happier, of course I'll stay here. I'm sorry I wanted to leave so badly. It was a silly thing to say."

Toriel put a hand to her mouth, clearly still in some disbelief.

"I just thought, maybe I don't belong here. Maybe it would be better if I left you in peace while I went back to my own world where I belonged. I'm sorry."

Toriel shivered, and seemed close to tears once again. But she regained her composure and looked Frisk level in the eye.

"You don't need to stay if you don't want to." explained Toriel gently, clearly upset with herself now, "I understand why you would want to leave. You'd just be unhappy trapped down here. The ruins are very small after all and it would not be right for me to keep you here when you want to leave so badly. I won't stop you if you really want to go, my child."

Frisk shook her head happily. "I'd really rather be here than anywhere else right now. Really I would".

"No. No I was wrong to try and force you to stay here against your will. It was selfish of me. It's just, it's just that. well you see I just didn't want to be all alone again.", a uncontrolled sob escaped Toriel as she finished her sentence.

"What do you mean?" asked Frisk, all of a sudden feeling more cruel and wrong than ever before. She was about to leave a lonely woman alone and bereft of human company once more, and all with so little hesitation too. Toriel deserved better than that.  
She had to know more. This was inhumane and Frisk need desperately to reassure Toriel that she wouldn't have to be lonely again.  
Toriel needed her more than ever, and by extension, the rather lonesome Frisk needed her.

Toriel closed her eyes, clearly reminiscing over some painful memory that should have long faded but never did.  
She shuddered, and clasped her head with her palm, the first symptoms of a severe migraine, or rather a stroke.

Frisk opened her mouth once more to apolgoise for asking so rude a question once more, but the fit was only momentary and though Toriel looked down at the ground as she spoke, her words were clear and unbroken almost void of emotion.

"I've been here for a long time. Alone. Isolated from the rest of the underground, here in this little home I prepared for myself.  
And in that time, I've seen several innocent young children end up in this dangerous place, much like yourself. All innocent young lives that had come here without a decision. All good little children who did not deserve a cruel and barbaric death at the hands of... them. I took them in and offered to let them stay, none of them did.  
They came, they left. They, died." Toriel quietly but angrily exclaimed.

"I begged them not to go. I warned them how dangerous it would be. But none of them listened and now all of them are dead, because of me."

"What happened to them" Frisk was tempted to know, but she quickly pushed that thought out of her mind and vowed never to think on it again. Did it really matter when Toriel's grief over their dissapearance had left her this broken?

Instead, Frisk simply nodded. "I understand Toriel, but it's not your fault. You did what you could and no one can blame you for trying."

"Pathetic is it not." sighed Toriel wearily. "I cannot save even a single child."

"You can." protested Frisk angrily. Toriel needed to realise that her efforts had not been wasted. "YOU CAN AND YOU HAVE!, you saved me when I thought for sure it was all over for me. That meant a lot to me. And if you say the rest of the underground is really as bad as that, then I believe you. Who knows after all what other horrible people are out there waiting for me besides that flower".

"So you really want to stay here my child? You'll stay and keep me company so I won't have to be alone once more?" asked Toriel, almost pleadingly.

Frisk looked at the mad hope and desperation in Toriel's until now sullen and weary clenched her fists, she could not let poor Toriel down now.

"For as long as I'm welcome here." promised Frisk "Unless you tell me to leave, I will stay with you until the day I die. How could I refuse. I know we'll have a good life here."

Almost on an impulse, Toriel rushed forward and before Frisk could react, embraced Frisk in a gentle hug which warmed Frisk's heart to the core. Frisk could not help but sob gently herself as Toriel slowly released her, sad that the loving embrace had ended so soon.

"I promise I will take good care of you" vowed Toriel earnestly as they headed back up the stairs, hand in hand.  
"For as long as you stay here I will do the best I can to make you feel comfortable. We can sit by the fireplace, reading stories and eating butterscotch pie, so many things I have planned for us to do. But most of all, I promise I will let nothing happen to you."

Frisk only nodded happily, stifling a slight yawn as she had not slept in days save that short and uncomfortable nap.  
This place really did have a lot more to offer her than her own world ever could and she was wrong, she really did belong here now. This was her home now.

Flowey let out a sickened groan as he saw Frisk sat comfortably by the fireplace being read a story by the oh so great goat mommy, whatever her name was, he didn't care. He was certain that silly girl would have wanted to leave for outside, rather than perishing down here in this miserable dump but no, she seemed to have grown an attachment to this place somehow.

"Drat" he mumbled furiously, at seeing his plan crumble so early. Now he would never accomplish the perfect plan he had spent years, no decades carefully conjuring up in his calculating mind, and now it was all ruined.

What was worse was that idiot human seemed to believe and trust that bothersome goat's stupid tales.

That, he grumbled to himself, would greatly set back his attempts to manipulate and coerce.

He pulled himself back together as he took breath after breath, knowing that if he let the sorrow of his failure get to his head,  
his chance of ever getting what was rightfully his would be ruined even more.

"A minor setback" he insisted to himself over and over as the warm smile on the girl's face made him more disgusted than ever.  
"A minor, tiny setback. Don't you worry little girl. No need to be scared. I'll be there for you in your time of need."  



End file.
